Challenge #19 - Random Phrase Generator, part 3

Hi folks

It'd sort of be theatrical malpractice of me not to mention this is Give to the Max Day here in Minnesota, where every worthy cause you can think of asks for your support (it's actually part of the much larger Give to the Max month of November - so they don't destroy their servers on one day as they've done in the past.)

Threshold Theater is asking for support, too, of course.

If you're finding this month-long series of writing prompts useful to your process, and you can afford to toss us a little more than the original $15 you put in the kitty to take part in this challenge, Threshold certainly wouldn't say no :)

Full disclosure: this is enlightened self-interest on my part.  Helping the theater raise money (which I'm doing through our grant writing work as well) means that we get just a bit closer to being able to stage a full production of my play "Spellbound" in early 2023.

So give if you can.  Queer theater makers thank you.

Here's the link: https://www.givemn.org/story/Kssucf

Now, back to the real business of the day...

Let’s get you that writing prompt…

Challenge #19 - Random Phrase Generator, part 3

Due: Saturday, November 20th, 8am
(whenever 8am arrives in your time zone; we’ll do the math here in the Central Time zone, no worries :)

Here’s a few more phrases from my playwright friend Dan’s writing prompt machine to kick off some writing for the day:

- The doves are at the vet
- Do you ever really cry?
- Except those people there who, you know, do not count
- An argument of brain and bone
- I still have chords to play

And of course, you can always go right to the source and find other phrases you like better to play with.

And, like last time, Dan’s always curious to see what kind of work the phrases inspire in other writers.  So if you don’t mind my sharing your work with Dan, just let me know when you submit.

How to submit your work for Challenge #19

You have options.  They are:

Save your script as a PDF or Word Doc and send as an attachment to an email sent to ThresholdWritingChallenge@gmail.com

OR

Copy and past your script in the body of an email and send it to ThresholdWritingChallenge@gmail.com

OR

Post your script online (as a Google doc, or in a blog post, on your own personal website, etc.) - email a link to this script to ThresholdWritingChallenge@gmail.com
(If you’re going to Google doc route, just make sure to have the document public, or give permissions to our email address to open it)

When emailing us, make the subject line of your email - Challenge #19
(That just helps us sort through the email more quickly)
(Or, you know, just reply to this email if you want :)

OR

Post the link for the online document option above in the comments section on this very blog post for this challenge on our writing challenge blog.



Again, this is: Due: Saturday, November 20th, 8am
(whenever 8am arrives in your time zone; we’ll do the math here in the Central Time zone, no worries :)

And, just to reassure you, no, we are not going to be sticklers about you following these directions down to the minutest detail - the important thing is that you write, and then that you share it with us, so we can keep track of who’s writing every day.

We will be VERY understanding about technical difficulties and how they can screw up making the deadline.  No need to fret about anything except the writing (and hopefully that’s not something causing you to fret too much either :)

Also, no, there is no penalty for finishing and submitting early - but it also isn’t a race, so give yourself all the time up til 8am on Saturday to write if you need it.  When you’re done, you’re done.

A friendly reminder - you don’t have to write to the prompts if they don’t inspire you.  You can ignore them and just write whatever you want, just as long as you’re writing (that’s the main thing, not what you write)

Someone had a good question about the overall goal of the month, are we supposed to write a full-length play, or two one-act plays, etc.?  The short answer is no (unless you want to).  The longer answer is here if you’re curious.

For those concerned about format, we’re pretty liberal about that, too - just as long as it’s legible and in English.  More on that here.

Again, remember, it doesn’t need to be great, it doesn’t even need to be responding to this prompt (the prompt is just there so you’re not staring at a blank screen to start with no idea what to write about :)

Doesn't even need to be complete - you could have the beginning or the middle or the end of an idea, maybe two out of three but not all, that's still fine. This is all about getting things started, you can write more later. You have 11 more days to build on whatever you come up with today, if you want. Just get anything on the page, even if won't make sense to anyone else, as long as it make sense to you.

It just needs to be something.

And that something can be:

Lights up.

An old man whose hands won’t cooperate, tries to pick up and strum a guitar, “I still have chords to play.”

It is hard, but he persists.

Lights down.

The End

That’s always your escape hatch, every day.

That’s your base line.

Build on it.

Have fun.

Don’t stress.

Make an impulsive decision and run with it.

Breathe.

You’ve got the day (and a half).

Just write.